Soft Machine founding keyboardist Mike Ratledge dead at 81

Mike Ratledge, founding keyboardist for influential English group Soft Machine, died on Wednesday following a brief illness. He was 81.

The news came via current Soft Machine guitarist John Etheridge, who joined the band in 1975, near the end of Ratledge’s time in it. “Incredibly sad news that my great friend and Soft Machine legend passed away two hours ago after a brief illness,” he wrote (via Louder). “Mike was the backbone of Soft Machine in the early years and a man with an absolutely incisive mind – a marvellous composer and keyboardist. A real renaissance man – so talented, cultured, charming – and a wonderful companion. We used to meet every few weeks for over 40 yrs – a treat for me. What a loss to all of us and his sisters and wonderful girlfriend Elena, who were with him at the end.”

Ratledge formed Soft Machine in 1966 with Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt and Daevid Allen. They were central to the Canterbury progressive psychedelic scene, and that lineup made two albums together, 1968’s The Soft Machine and 1969’s Volume Two. Ayers left after, that but Ratledge stayed with the group though a few other lineup and style changes as they shifted from psych to prog and into jazz instrumentals. He made six more records with the band; 1975’s Bundles was his last album with Soft Machine and he was the only remaining founding member in the band at the time.

In addition to his work in Soft Machine, Ratledge also contributed to Kevin Ayers’ solo album The Joy of a Toy, Syd Barrett’s The Madcap Laughs, and more. After Soft Machine, he became a successful composer for commercials and theater.

Rest in peace, Mike.

Kevin Ayers died in 2013 and Daevid Allen died in 2015. Robert Wyatt just celebrated his 80th birthday last week.